Agonopterix scopariella
Encyclopedia
Agonopterix scopariella is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is found in most of Europe
, except Ireland
, most of the Balkan Peninsula, Ukraine
, Finland
and the Baltic region
.
The wingspan
is 18-23 mm. Adults are variable, but usually have two black and two white spots on the wing. The white spots are often ringed by black scales. They are on wing from August to April.
The larvae feed on Cytisus scoparius
. They feed in spun shoots of their host plant. Larvae can be found from June to late July. The species overwinters as an adult.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this....
family. It is found in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, except Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, most of the Balkan Peninsula, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and the Baltic region
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 18-23 mm. Adults are variable, but usually have two black and two white spots on the wing. The white spots are often ringed by black scales. They are on wing from August to April.
The larvae feed on Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius, the Common Broom and Scotch Broom, syn. Sarothamnus scoparius, is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe,....
. They feed in spun shoots of their host plant. Larvae can be found from June to late July. The species overwinters as an adult.
Subspecies
- Agonopterix scopariella scopariella
- Agonopterix scopariella calycotomella Amsel, 1958 (Cyprus)